Mermaid fever is at fever pitch for my kids and probably yours too. So when we heard about mermaid pillows, well.

Turns out, they’re truly magical in the most unexpected of ways.

Mermaid Pillow Co. calls its puffy creations (which, by the way, are not all mermaids) positivity pillows because of the positive action-driven words on the front (imagine, believe, discover). But the real draw is the silky sequins on the back that change color when you run your fingers over them. The sequins are super responsive to touch, so you can easily write or draw anything you want.

And it is unbelievably mesmerizing.

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I kid you not, this pillow is the first thing outside of allotted iPad time that entranced my kids so much, they were quiet and content as they drew on it for like an hour. (Which is a long time for quiet and contentment in our home.)

The company’s founders say that the pillows have provided comfort to kids who have anxiety, autism, sensory issues, or illnesses — and after playing with it myself, it’s easy to see why. They’ve even partnered with The Cancer Fund to provide pillows to children’s hospitals and other kids’ organizations. And I think the pillows would even make a great gift for a kid who’s headed to sleepaway camp for the first time, and may need something to calm the homesickness nerves.

My kids call the mermaid pillow “the iPad of the future,” and, given the blissful state they’re in when they draw on theirs, I think I get their point.

You can order your own mermaid pillow from Mermaid Pillow Co. (shipping is free with every order).